ROURKELA: Overnight restriction on entry of vehicles to the main road of Rourkela without alternative parking arrangements has been causing inconvenience to motorists during the ongoing festive season in the city. Blame it on years of inaction of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) that the vehicle parking issue has only aggravated from bad to worse.
On top of it, the civic body has never bothered to ensure compliance of parking norms by commercial building owners and establishments. This apart, no steps have been taken to free the nine connecting roads from encroachments to help diversion of vehicular traffic from the main road to the parallel Mahtab Road.
Sources said shop owners and locals have been resenting joint enforcement with imposition of hefty fine by the RMC and traffic police. People are also protesting ban on entry of three-wheelers and four-wheelers to the main road where most retail and wholesale establishments are located. Only two-wheelers are allowed to ply on the road.
Rourkela Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Subrata Patnaik said after several rounds of meeting with the police and RMC authorities, entry of three-wheelers and four-wheelers to the road was allowed from 5 pm to 10 pm. He said the administration has miserably failed to create alternative parking arrangements and traffic diversions and the draconian decision was abruptly taken to punish the hapless commuters.
Sources said the one-way traffic on the stretch of the main road from Bisra Square to Ambedkar Square at Uditnagar continues to face traffic snarls. The situation is worse on the stretch from Bisra Square to Mangal Bhawan.
Rourkela SP Mukesh K Bhamoo said joint enforcement personnel have been asked to be sensitive towards the concerns of commuters. He said four-wheelers carrying senior citizens are being allowed on the main road while commercial buildings have been asked not to park their own or employees’ vehicles on the road to create more space.
Police said absence of alternative parking arrangements and unplanned execution of the ongoing beautification and pavement works during the festive season have been creating trouble in traffic management.